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F. M. DAVIS SOFA BED.

1911194$$$00 APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 19I3. Patented Aug. 8,

2 SHEETSSHEET l- Patentd Aug. 1916.

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SOFA BED.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, ms.

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FRED M. DAVIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO PULLMAN COUCH COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SOFA-BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1916..

Application filed May 15, 1913. Serial No. 767,782.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED M. DAVIS, a citizen of he United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sofa-Beds, bf which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to foldable sofa beds of the class inwhich a series of sections are adapted and arranged to unfold outwardly and forwardly to form a bed the length of which is transverse to the length of the sofa, and which is of ordinary shape and size.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved sofa bed of this kind in which the frame of the seat member of the sofa. shall constitute the middle major section of an open perimetrical bed frame adapted to provide for free movement of the bed spring; in which two bed sections back of the seat member and constituting the head portion of the bed frame shall be automatically locked and held in their elevated position when raised to form a bed and shall be released automatically when the adjacent forwardly disposed or seat section is raised for folding; in which the sections when ex-. tended shall constitute a substantially rigid and continuous open frame adapted to support a bed spring formed of resilient metal fabric, as linked or woven wire, or of similar construction stretched across the frame; in which the seat member shall be hinged to the front of the housing and arranged to coact with a rearwardly and downwardly disposed frame member to raise the same to a horizontal position when the seat is swung forward in alinement therewith and rotated to its bed position; and in whichthe seat member and adjacent head'section shall be strongly equipped and arranged for coaction to swing together in rigid alinement for lifting the head section into place when the seat and foot sections carried thereby are swung outwardly and downwardly into place.

A specific embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan View of the sofa bed in its extended position for use as a bed, the mattress and bedding being removed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line A-A of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section also taken on the line AA of Fig. 1 but tween the ends 6 to the front edge of the sofa and has one side thereof upholstered to form a sofa seat 9. The opposite or reverse side of the seat member is formed and adapted to serve as one section of the bed, the arrangement of the sections being such that this seat member constitutes the middle major section of the bed. i

A headminor section 10 is also pivoted at one edge to the front of the sofa and is arranged for coaction with the said seat section in unfolding the bed. Said seat and head minor'sections may be pivoted to the housing by the same hmge pintles 12. A short foot minor section 13' is pivoted to the free edge of said seat section. A head major section 14 is pivoted to the free edge of the said head minor section and a foot major section 15 is pivoted to the oppositely disposed or foot minor section 13, thus constituting a bed frame having three major sections 8, 14 and 15, and two intermediate minor sections 10 and 13, making five in all. The said bed sections are formed and arranged so that when unfolded they provide a rectangular open bed frame, the lateral members or side rails 16 of which are held spaced apart by the head and foot rails 17 and 18 respectively at the ends and by the horizontal or cross frame member 19 of the seat frame at or adjacent to the center. By this arrangement the side rails are held spaced apart and rigidly braced against the tension of the bed spring with the use of only one transverse brace or bridging member intermediate of the ends, this member being an integral part of the seat frame. The side rails of the seat section are preferably formed as vertical sides of the seat frame and are arranged to project upward when the seat section is in its bed position, and adapted to support the sides of the bed spring, said frame being open at the ends to provide clearance for said spring.

The seat frame is made substantially integral'and rigid and of sufiicient depth to avoid interference of the seat portion proper constituting one side, with the bed spring attached to the opposite side, the seat cross member having substantially a U-shape, so

disposed that when the frame is unfolded the transversely disposed portion of the U- member is carried well below the spring, thus leaving an open space between the up-. wardly turned ends forfree movement of the bed spring.

Foldable means of suitable form are provided to support the foot portion of the bed. For this purpose legs 22 maybe pivoted to opposite sides of the foot and middle major sections at points adjacentto their outerends, said legs preferably being arrangedand connected by any suitable-means form of leverage joint is provided at this point on each side of the frame, one of the sections being provided with a rigid substantially integral portion or member arranged to overlap the coacting-adjacent section for engagement therewith when they swing into alinement in unfolding. The said leverage member preferably consists of ,a rigid bar 24; formed substantially integr-ally with or attached to the stationary pivot end of the head minor section 10 in alinement therewith, and the seat section is provided with an outstanding stud or.lug 25 adapted to engage with said bar 24.- when the seat is swung into alinement therewith. This leverage bar may be long and heavy enou h to )rovide great levera e stren h and still not be so long as to pro ect beyond the upper surface of the seat upholstering when the sections are folded as indicated in Fig. 3.

The rule-joint connecting the head major and minor sections 14 and 10 is arranged to fold downwardly and is reinforced by means of a bar 27 secured to the under side of the minor section and arranged to lap under the head major section, thus providing great lifting strength.

Means are provided in the rear of the housing for automatically engaging the free end of the head major section when it israised to its horizontal position, saidmeans comprlsing one or more rearward yieldable 'locks'or spring catches 28'of the nature of-a latch, adapted and arrangedtto be pressed back by the bed section in risingto its horizontal position, the catch then springing forward into its normal position to prevent the the head, major section forwardly and away i from the latch.

-- When the seat section is raised for folding the bed the adjacent ends of the said head sections will be free to fold and move downwardly by gravity. A slight movement in this direction sufiices to draw the head major section forwardly enough to release from the said catch 28, leaving it free to drop into alinement with the adjacent minor section, which relative position it will maintain during the folding movement until the said head major section comes to a bearing on the lower part of the housing frame, as upon the cross beam 30, whereupon the joint connecting the same to the minor section will flex and the minor section 10 will gradually swing into a substantially vertical position and the head major section will take a substantially horizontal position.

Suitable limiting means as shoulders or stops 31 are provided on the sofa housing adjacent to the back to support the rear or non-pivoted edge of the seat section 8 and the other members carried thereby when the hed is folded. These stops 31 also serve to definitely arrest the upward swing of the head major section 14 as soon as it reaches the point where engaged by the catch 28. Corresponding shoulders 32 and 33 are provided on the said seat and head sections to engage the'upper and under sides respectively of the stops 31. The seat shoulders 32 are positioned adjacent to the cushioned side in order that the. single pair of stationary stops 31 may serve as stops for both the head and seat sections. When the foot major section is folded upon the seat section it may be held in place to prevent swinging out of position by any suitable means, as hooks 33.1 pivoted on each s1 e. a

Assuming that the sections are folded with the seat in its normal sofa position, the bed may be unfolded by gras ing the rear edge of the seat memberanri swinging it upwardly and forwardly until it comes to a substantially vertical position, at which point the leverage member 24'on the adjacent minor section will engage the pin 25 on the seat member, whereupon continuance'of the outer turning'of'the seat memberwill serve tonrotate the head minor section in a-linement with the seat member. As the motion is continued the rear end'of the head major section will slide rearwardly and. its

hinged edge will be raised until it comes into alinement with the head minor section,

whereupon the seat and head sections will swing together in alinement until they come.

to their horizontal bed position, and the catch' 28 engages the rear edge of the head wardly and forwardly to theirfhorizontal position. The foot support ng legsare hkewise unfolded automaticall when the foot sections are unfolded.

In folding the device the foot sections are first folded upon the seat section, the outer legs being automatically folded therewith. The hooks 33.1 are then engaged to hold'the seat and foot sections together when the seat section is turned. As the seat section is raised the head sections 10 and ll are there by permitted to flex downwardly, thus withdrawing and dropping section 14; from the catch 28, the said head sections folding by gravity independently of the leverfandlsrtcli turned to its normaliseat position, as shown in Fig. 3.

Although but onespecific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and descr bed, it will be understood that numerous vdetails of; the construction shown may be the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claim.

I claim:

A sofa bed, comprising a frame, a fold able sectional bed bottom mounted thereon including a seat section, an-inner section, and. a connectingsection having rule joint connections, the pintles for which are each in substantially the same plane as the bed bottom when unfolded, said bed bottom be ing turnabl) connected to the front part of said frame adjacent to the joint for the connecting and seat sections, a resilientl) yielding outwardly movable stop on the back part of said frame for supporting said inner section in its bed position, said stop having a guide face inclined inwardly and upwardlv for eoaction with said inner section in unfolding whereb said stop isretraeted, and an upwardly facing part or seat -adjacent to the upper end of said face to receive and support the roacting part of said inner seetio'nwhen the latter is raised sullieiently mechanismand the sew tlseetio'n- ]S to permit said stop to spring inward there- I under.

FRED M. DAVIS. \Vitnesses THOMAS P. \VALL, JEXNIE Burr. 

